Darlene Love retires "Christmas Baby Please Come Home" from Letterman

[HorseTears]

This Friday, in what has become a nearly 30 year long tradition, Darlene Love will sing "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" on Letterman one final time. I'm not an overly sentimental person, but this is one of my absolute favorite Christmas traditions. The Late Show put together a compilation of several of Darlene's performances on Letterman over the years. Made me tear up. I can't wait to see her final performance on Friday.





Darlene Love Will Retire 'Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)' After 'Letterman' Ends
6:45 AM PDT 10/29/2014 by Joe Lynch, Billboard

When David Letterman ends his 30-plus-year late-night career in 2015, his smirking wit won't be the only thing missing from television — it will also mark the end of an annual holiday TV tradition.

Every year since 1986, Darlene Love has performed her 1963 girl group classic "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" on the last episode of Late Show With David Letterman before Christmas. In a recent interview with the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Billboard asked Love if she would consider moving the annual performance to a different late night show.

She laughed and shook her head.

"This would be my 28th year in a row," Love said, speaking to Billboard backstage at a charity concert honoring Joan Jett. "They never told me not to, but it was an unspoken thing. They couldn't ask me not to sing 'Christmas (Baby)' on another show, but after 10 years, then 15 years, of doing this one song on this one show, I felt I had an obligation to be true to them."

As anyone who's seen the Oscar-winning documentary 20 Feet From Stardom knows, Letterman helped restart Love's career with that annual holiday spotlight.

"Before that, I wasn't doing TV shows every year," Love tells Billboard. "Once I started doing that, others starting adding me in their Christmas shows, but I wouldn't sing 'Christmas (Baby).' Although I have five or six other Christmas songs I recorded with Phil Spector."

But don't think this means Love is retiring "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" from live performances.

"I called Paul [Shaffer] not too long ago and said, 'Well, what are we gonna do now?' " Love continues. "I said, 'I think we should get together once a year and do a huge Christmas show. A Paul Shaffer-Darlene Love Christmas show somewhere in New York.' I'm sure it would sell out."

Given Love's upbringing, it's fitting her most enduring hit would be a Christmas classic. Her father, a Pentecostal minister, banned rock 'n' roll from her house when she was a teen, calling it "the devil's music." But as the years went on, her parents warmed up to her career, and she knows her late father would be proud of her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
"My father would be so proud today," she says. "A lot of times the reason, especially my parents, [disapproved of my career] was because of church people and what they say. 'Your daughter shouldn't be singing that kind of music, her gift was given to her by God and she should serve God.' But I'm still serving Him," Love says. "It's just in another way."

[haterobics]

I wish I knew when it was being taped this week. I'd almost want to go see it live...

[haterobics]

Just called the stand-by line, and they said they aren't allowed to say when a particular guest is taping, but then they added, "... so just call us back tomorrow." So, seems like tomorrow, just a question of which taping, assuming they tape two shows. Just went to the online ticket request page, and tomorrow is the only date you can put in, so... what the heck, may as well try to see the end of an era.

[FindingNamo]

Friday's episode was taped weeks ago. Darlene said it was great.

[haterobics]

And you know this how?

[Jay Lerner-Z]

^ He's one of her backing vocalists.

(Great compilation!)

[HorseTears]

I don't see how Namo finds the time, what with his non-stop schedule as a professor at the conservatory.

Also, pretty sure Letterman tapes most (if not all) of his Friday shows earlier in the week.

[darreyl102]

The end of an era! I will be watching!
I liked the other mix video that was done of Darlene's performance better- just because it used different years performances more often.
Darlene on Letterman

[HorseTears]

Did anyone see Darlene in Hairspray? How was she? I wasn't aware of her Broadway career until after seeing the wonderful 20 Feet From Stardom.

[darreyl102]

What a performance you missed- she was stellar and her IKWIB was thrilling!! She was just wonderful! I saw her more times then i can count and loved each and every time.

[darreyl102]

And she was still just as wonderful at the Hollywood Bowl!

[CapnHook]

Can't wait for Friday! I've been waiting for this moment since his retirement was announced.

[FindingNamo]

"And you know this how?"

I have an insider connection. By which I mean I read about her report about it the day she posted her thoughts on Facebook after the filming.

Also, I saw her in Carrie. So there.

[haterobics]

I already looked on Facebook for clues, though, and she just posted on Tuesday: "I head back home tomorrow to rehearse with Paul Shaffer and the band for my final Late Show with David Letterman on Friday." So, she was just rehearsing today... I'll see what the standby guy says tomorrow.

[darreyl102]

^ Yeah, i don't remember seeing anything about already taping it on her Facebook.
-Seeing Carrie doesn't make a person right, it just makes them old.

[haterobics]

Ugh, called stand-by line through 20 minutes of busy signals, and finally it rings. The guy says "Letterman Standby, first name please?" So, I say my name. Then he says... "Letterman standby? I need your first name..." I say "Hello, can you hear me?" He hangs up. hehehe. Gotta love technology.

Since standby tickets are given out later in the order you call, I didn't think I wanted to be further down the line, especially if tonight is the holiday show, since anyone with tickets to that would be crazy to miss it.

So, we'll just have to take that as a sign...

[HorseTears]

That's too bad, Hater. But given Letterman's history of taping Friday shows earlier in the week, you probably didn't miss out, right?

[haterobics]

There were a few tweeters ecstatic that they were going to see Darlene today, so if I'm really curious I'll check in and see if they were happy or tweeted about seeing Rosie instead, heh.

But more likely, I'll just watch the show on TV tomorrow night and call it a day.

[HorseTears]

Those assholes. I hope they show up and find Tata Vega singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas".

[Borstalboy]

It's still the best version of this song. I still find it very strange that you hardly ever hear it played around Christmastime. All radio stations seemed to have swapped it out for Mariah's plastic take on the song or the Bono version.

[haterobics]

Don't get Namo started on Bono..

[ArtMan]

Off topic kind of, but Horsey brought her up. Horsey, you amaze me. You have heard of Tata Vega? My favorite dance/disco hit of hers is "I Just Keep Thinking About You Baby"

[haterobics]

Judging from some recent tweets, it sounds like Letterman taped two shows today, Thursday and Friday sequentially. One person on twitter even told Rosie they hope she stayed around to see Darlene sing on the next episode... oh well, the good part about TV tapings is pretty much all the good stuff is on the air.

[HorseTears]

Bummer, Hater! In case it's of interest, Darlene is playing several shows at BB King Blues Club in New York in December and January. I'm sure she'll sing a few of her signature Christmas songs there.

Artman - while I welcome your amazement, don't be too impressed. I'd never heard of Tata before seeing her featured in the wonderful 20 Feet From Stardom. If you're a fan of the great background singers of the 60s-70s (and beyond), the documentary is essential viewing. It's on Netflix.

[haterobics]

Yeah, I'm headed out of town in the morning, so I can't go to those.... was more into the final Letterman aspect. Oh well... I did notice you're only supposed to attend every six months, so I guess that means one show between now and him going off the air.

[HorseTears]

Well, I feel like I've done all I can for you, Hater. This counted as your Christmas gift.